The present invention relates to a rotary-operation type electronic component incorporating a push switch, for use in a mouse or other computer peripherals, portable telephones, pagers, etc.
The rotary-operation type electronic component with push switch is an electronic component comprising a single operation knob which can operate the rotary electronic component section and the push-switch section separately. As an example of such electronic components, a rotary encoder with push switch disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No.08-203387 is described in the following with reference to FIG.16-FIG.21.
The conventional rotary encoder with push switch comprises a rotary encoder 32 and a push switch 33 disposed on a resin-made fitting substrate 31 having feet 31A and 31B. The encoder 32 is attached movable for a certain distance in a predetermined horizontal direction (the direction H2) on the fitting substrate 31, and the switch 33 is fixed on the same fitting substrate 31.
The flat plate-shaped fitting substrate 31 is provided with a cavity area 35 comprising guide rails 34 for guiding the encoder 32 in the horizontal direction, a hollow 37 having stop wall 36 for fixing the switch 33, and terminal boards 39 having terminals 38 for transmitting electric signals from encoder 32 outside.
The encoder 32 comprises a box-shaped case 40 made of resin placed in the cavity area 35 to be guided by the guide rails 34, a resin-made rotary disk 46 affixed revolvable to a pillar shaft 43 at the center of the boxshaped case 40, and an operation knob 50 fixed to the rotary disk 46 with a screw 49. An elastic contacting body 56 having upper contact-points 41 and lower contact-points 42 protruding in the respective directions is fixed by insert-molding in the bottom of the box-shaped case 40, and a clicking spring 48 is fixed at the top. A radial contact disk 44 is fixed at the bottom of rotary disk 46, the upper surface of which disk 46 is provided with a radially bumping surface 45. As shown in FIG. 19, a dowel 47A of elastic foot 47 of clicking spring 48 rests in an indent 45A of the bumping surface 45. The upper contact-point 41 makes contact with radial contact disk 44, while the lower contact-point 42 makes contact with terminal board 39 of fitting substrate 31.
As shown in FIG.20 and FIG.21, a coil spring 52 is attached to a pin 51 protruding from fitting substrate 31 so as to push the box-shaped case 40 at the side. Therefore, the encoder 32 is usually staying away from the switch 33.
As shown in FIG.18, the switch 33 is fixed in the hollow 37 of fitting substrate 31 with the button 53 facing to the encoder 32 and the rear end touching the stop wall 36. A driving rod 54 being a part of the box-shaped case 40 is touching the button 53 of switch 33.
Operation of the conventional rotary encoder with push switch is described in the following.
The rotating operation is described in the first place. When the operation knob 50 is applied at the outer circumferential edge 50A with a force in the tangential direction, as shown in FIG.20, to have the operation knob 50 revolved, the rotary disk 46 revolves around the pillar shaft 43, and the upper contact-points 41 slide on the radial contact disk 44. As a result, a pulse signal is generated in accordance with the revolution of operation knob 50, and the dowel 47A resting in the indent 45A of bumping surface 45 moves on the bumping surface 45 accompanying a click feeling to the next indent, which indent representing the next stop position. The pulse signal is transmitted via upper contact-points 41 and lower contact-points 42 to the terminal board 39, to be conveyed to a circuit of an electronic appliance through the terminals 38 for external connection.
Now in the following, the push operation is described. When a horizontal force is applied to the operation knob 50 at the edge 50A in the direction connecting the center of operation knob 50 and the switch 33 (direction of an arrow H2), as shown in FIG.21, against the elastic force of spring 52, the encoder 32 moves along the guide rails 34 towards switch 33. The driving rod 54 pushes the button 53 and the switch 33 operates, thereby a signal is transmitted to a circuit of an electronic appliance via connection terminal 55. As soon as the force on operation knob 50 is removed, the encoder 32 is pushed-back to the front by the elastic restoring force of coil spring 52 to the initial position as shown in FIG. 20.
In the above rotary encoder, unwanted move of operation knob 50 during the push operation on the switch 33 is prevented by setting the dowel 47A of clicking spring 48 in an indent 45A of the bumping surface 45.
However, the above described conventional rotary encoder incorporating push switch carries with it following drawbacks. Namely, because an encoder 32 and a switch 33 are disposed respectively as independent blocks on the upper surface of fitting substrate 31, the overall length from the edge 50A of operation knob 50 to the rear end of switch 33 becomes very long. As the encoder 32 is comprised of a box-shaped case 40, a rotary disk 46, a clicking spring 48 and an operation knob 50 piled up one after another, the height also becomes substantial. Furthermore, an entire push-switch is used for the switch 33, and the terminal boards 39, the elastic contact body 56, the clicking spring 48, the coil spring 52 and other pieces are formed as the independent member from respective metal materials; which means the high manufacturing cost of finished components.